V I d l T h W a s a German armies. I do not know how many heavens fcehind it. A single light gleamed * * be has killed, but it is he who cuts the cross in one of the 5owei- windows.

Slight Noise. To the upon the foreheads, for it is the badge of his . The captain whispered hi* orders to his house." * men. Some were to creep to the fi*ont door,

D azed aptain It J eemea I t w a s true. The murdersd sentries liad some to the back. Some were to watch the That One of the Pictures each h a d a saltire cross slashed across thejr east and some the w^st. He and the sergeant

brows, a s b y a hunting knife. The colonel- stole ori tiptoe to th« Iighted window. Opposite Had }Valked

bent his stiff back and ran his forefinger It was a small room into which they i j p r . , over the map wliich lay tipon the table. looked, very meanly furnished. An elderly

"The Chateau Noir is not more than fOur man in the dress of a menial was eading

IT was in the days when the German ) e a g u e s „ h e s a i d a tattered paper by thc light of a gattering

armies had broken their way across « T h r e e ^ a kiiometer, colonel." candle. He leaned back in his wooden chair France and when the shattered forces ^ Y o u k n Q w t h e p l a c e ? „ with his^feet upon a box, whiie a bottle of

o£ the^oung republic had been swept away ^ ^ ^ ^ w h J t e w i n e y t o o d ^ a h a l f filled t u m b i e r to the north of the Aisne and to the south 'wf i l* him The ^ereeant Col. von Gramm rang the bell. upon a stooi oesiae nim. J ne >ei geant

of the Loire. « Q i v e t h i s m a i l f o o a and detain him," said thrust his needie gun through the glass, and Black and bitter were the thoughts of ^ ^ ^ sergeant. t h e m a n sP™ng to his feet with a shriek.

Frenchmen when they saw this weal of dis- „ w h y d e & i n m e , c o l o n e l ? j c a n tell you 1 Silence, for your lifet The house is SUP. honor slashed across the faif face of their ^WM . ounded and \rou eannot escape. Come

^ no more. country. They had fought and they had ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ as'guide." around and open the door or we wiU shoto been overborne. That swarming cavalry, n o m e r c v w h e n w e e o m e in4»> those countless footmen, the masterful guns " As guide! But the count? If I were to - t h e y had tried and tried to make head into his hands? Ah, colonel » against them. In bp.ttalions their invaders The Prussian commander waved him away. were not to be beaten: but man to man, or " Send Capt. Baumgarten to.me at once," -ten to ten, they were their equals. s ^ d he.

Coi. von Gramm of the Twenty-fourth The officer who answered the summons »>osen infantry had suifered severely dur- was a man of middle age, heavy jawed, blue ihg this new developn^nt. He commanded eyed, with a curving. yellow mustache, and J in the Uttle Norman town of Les Andelys, a brick red face whioh turnecf to an ivory, tnd his outposts stretched amid t h e W l e t s whlte where his helmet had sheitered it. As

and farmhouses of the distriot round. No *a soldier he was slow, but reliable and brave. French force was within fifty miles of him, The colonel could t rust him where a more and yet morning after morning he had to daahing pfficer might be in danger. _ ]isten to a black report of sentries found dead " You will proceed to Chateau Noir tonight, vt their posts or of foraging parties which captain," said he. " A guide has been pro-

had never returned; vided. You will arrest the count and bring Then the colonel would go forth in his him back. If there is an attempt a t rescue

wrath, and farm steadings would blaze and shoot him at once." \ iilages trembie\ but next morning there was " How many men shall I take, colonei?" still that same dismal taie to be told. Do ' Well, we are surrounded by spies, and vvhat he might, he could not shake ofit liis our only chance is to pounce upon him be-invisible enemies. And yet, it should not fore he knows that we are on the way. A have been so hard, for f rom certain signs , large force wiil. attract attention. On the in common, in the plan and |n the deed, it other hand, you must not risk being cut off." was certain that all these outrages came " I might march north, colonel, as if to from a single source. Join Gen. Goeben. Then I could turn down

doL von Gramm had tried violence and it this road which I see upon your map and had failed. Gold m]ght >e more successful. to Chateau Noir before they could hear He published it abroad over the countryside of us , In that case, with twenty men »

~ that 500 francs would be paid for informa- ' Very good, captain. I hope to see you tion. There was no response Then 800. with your prisoner tomorrow morning." The peasants were incorruptible. Then, It was a cold December night when Capt.

! -oaded on by a murdered corporal, he rose Baumgarten marched out of Les Andelys to a thousand, and so bought #the soul of with his twenty Poseners and took the main Fran^ois Rejane, farm iabfcrer, whose Nor- road to the northwest. Two miles out he F o r G od's sak, don*t shoot! I wUI ope» It wus long, however, before Capt Baum- J rnan avarice w a s a sti onger passion than his turned suddenly down a narrow, deeply it! I wiU ope^ ui' He rushed from the garten had sa.tisfied himself upon the point. J l -ench hatred. ' rutted tr^ck, and made swiftly for his man. room.with hisi> .r stU$ crumpled up in Tt wa5, a difficttlt house ,to search. Thin J

. ' M f i \ thint cold rain wa« falling, swishing among h a n d . An iltetav i iater, with a groaning of stairs which only one man could ascend at J 44 You say that you know wno uia tiieb© - • . .. ure.

M T H E C H I C A O O S

Suddenly a slight ant was in the room in an ins tanO " My boy was frequently moved to tears * Yioise brought him to " Chambertin from bin 15!" he cHed, and by the humiliation of his pesition," continued his feet. Por an in- a minute later a gray botUe streaked witk the count. " You wili understand me wher I s tant it seemed to his c o b w e b s w a s carried in as a nurse bears an say that it is a bitter thing to be helpless m dazed senses that ona i n * a n t - T h e count filled two glasses to the the hands of an insolent and remorseless of the pictures oppo- b n m * v enemy. On arriving at Carlsruhe, hoWever, site had walked from " D r i n k ? > > ^ h e - « I t is the very best his face, which had been'wounded by the its framo 'nhere be ^ ^ C e U a r S ' a n d n o t t o b e m a t c h e d hetween brutality of his guard, was bound up by a 1 3 r ^ l u f ) ' ' e r e Rouen and Paris. ^Drink, sir, and be happy! young Bavarian subaltern, who was touched side the table and al- There are cold joints below. There are two by his appearance. I regret t!o see that your most within a r m ' g lobsters fresh from Honfleur. Will you not eye is bleeding so* WUl you permit me to iength of himj was ventiure upon a second and more savory biftd it with roy silk handkerehief?" standing a huge man, supper?" H e i e aned forward, but tfce German silent, m o t i o n l e & s , T h e German officer shook his head. H e dashed his hand aside. ^ i th no sign of Ufe d i a l n e d t h e S l a s s - however, and his host " I am in your power, you monster!" he save his flerce glint- fiUed " ° n ° e m ° r e ' P r e s s i n ^ h i m t o * i v e a n cried. . " I can endu: your brutalities but ing eyes. He was blaek * * ™ * * * n o t y p U r

haired, olive skinned, f T i J ^ * 0 ™ ? ^ * T h e C ° U n t S h r U ^ h i s s ' h o u I d e ^ " 1 with n n i n t ^ rnft nf ^ * Y ™ ^ t 0 S a y •*•«»* t h * n * s i n their order. just a^ they oc-with a pointed tuf t of t h e w o r d . W e l l > t h e n , y o u %vill ^ m e t 0 ^ h e w h e ^ e h e m e t w i t h k i n d n e s s f r o m t h e u ^ ^ s i o r y ^ t t h e e n d said. as the Prussian German officer in cdmmand. This good o f t h e f o r t n i g h t m y s o n a n d h l s f r i e n d e s . cast a swift glance at colonel had the hungry lad to supper, of- c a p e a . T n e e d n o t t r o u b 3 e v*ou w i t h t h e d a n . M the empty chair in ^ e ^ e d h h t h e h e s t he had, opened a bottle g e r s ^ i c h t h e y r a n o r ^ t h e p r i v a t l o n s which they had been of good wine, as I have tried to do for you, w h i c h t h e y e n d u r e d . Suffice it that to dis-laid. " Y o u h a v e b e e n , a n d ^ v e l l i m a c i g a r f r o r a h i s o w n c a s e ' guise themselves they had to take the clothes ^ ^ Might I entreat you to take one from mine?" n o f l o o n + f l , i if you will allow me to o t t w o peasants. whom they waylaid in a

The German again shook his head. His , , . . . say so, a little indiscreet to make vourself L • +-1* . , w o o d ' H l d i n ^ b> d a y a n d travelmg by mght, s o m r c h a t h o m e i n a h o u s e e v e r y w a l l o f

h 0 r r ° r ° f h l S C O m p a m ° n h a d i n C r e a S e 0 a S 116 t h e r h a d got as far into France as Remily , " 7 V S a t W a t C h i n g ^ l i P S t h a t s m i l e d a n d t h ^ and were within , m i l e - a single mile, cap-

f 1 " h 0 n ^ C ° ^ 0 " P a S S a g e " t h a t * l a r e d ' tain—ol crossing the Oerman lines w^en a W i l 1 b e m U S e d t D h e a r t h a t f o r t y m e n < < T h e c o l o n e l » a s 1 say, was good to my p a t r o l o f U h l a n s c a m e r i g h t U } ) % t h e m A h ! Kay do not ' W e r e w a t c h i n g y o u a t y o u r su™er' A h ! B u t ' P ^ c k l l y , the prisoners were i t w a i 5 h a r d > w a s i t n o t w h e n t h e y h a d c o m e

' ; [ f ^ a t m e n ? " # moved next day across the Rhine to Ettlin- ; s o f a r a n d w e r e s o n e a r t o s a f e t y r »

I LrZZ C a P t ' B a u m g a r t e n h a d t a k e n a S t e ^ f o r - T Ty W r n 0 t e q r ! ! f f ? r t U n a t y ^ T h e - u n t blew a double call upon his whis-fh tor ycur The officer who guarded them was a ruffian , „ „ ward with clenched fists. The Frenchman , .„ • • tle and three hard faced peasants entered

taponM and a villam, Capt. Baumgarten. He took .. V held up the revolver which he grasped in ^ • t, «ti , x tne room. V - p 1" a~pleasure m humiliatmg and ill treating the his right hand, while with the left he hurled brave m e « v h o had fallen in his power. That ' T h e s e r n u s t r e P r e s e n t Uh laa*" said P i e logs are laid aixd we can t h e G e r m a n b a c k i n t 0 h i s c h a i r . night, upon my son; answering fiercely back h e ' ***** t h e i n c °mmand ' . You will call me if there is „ P r a y k e e p y o u r 8 e a t » s a i d h e « y o u to some taunt of his» he struck bim in the t m d m a f t h a t t h e s e m e n w e r e French soldiers TOat can yotr give me for sup- . . * ' J v * " eye, like this!" m civilian dresn within the German lines

r ° ; y 0 U r m e " The crash of the blow rang through the ^ r o c e e d e d t o h a n - < h e r a ^ n t trial or cere-sieur there was a time when I * ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ * ^ The German^s face fell forward, his 1 thlnk. Jean, that the center b e a a ' » T . d w w b ? B t U S t 0 n l S h i n S W U h t h e S e S t 0 n e floors h o w hand up and blood oozing through his fin- i s t h e s t r o n ^ " pwexe< , > a you w».s >. . ah o n e c a n h e i U . w h a t g o e s o n beneath. You gers. The count settled down in liir- chair The unfortunate soidier was dragged f rom that we can his. sk i n creep ' every outrage upon my Iad, because the spirit lad had to tell, that he was the onl^ child threw his sword, his helmet, w i t h a p p r e h e n n s i o n < H i s | y e s g l a n c t d t o of tlie Chateau Noir would not stoop to turn of an old family, and that his mother was in pr belt down upon a chair and r i g h t a n d t Q ^ feut h i s w e a p o n s w e r e g 0 ] Q e away his wrath by feigned submission. Ay, failiilg health, he threw off the j ope a» I upon his supper. Then, with ^ . ' , ' this cowardly villain, -whose heart 's blood throw off this, and he kissed him on either > a n d i n a Struggle he saw that he was but a u „ . , . .. . , v , . . . , r . , , , fine '>eiore him and his ciga s h a 1 1 y e t c l o t u p o n t h l s h a n d » d a r e d t o ^ r i k e cheek, as I kiss you, and he bade him. go,

i ig he tilted his chair back ^ ^ ^ ^ g l g a n t i C The count m y s o n w i t h h i s o p e n hand, to kick him, to as I bid you go, and may every kind wish ipe, u i. t w c ian h a d p i cked up the claret bottle and held i t tear hair from his mustache—to use him of that noble general, though it could not the strange chance which had t Q ^ ] i g h l thus—and thus—and thus ! " stave off the fever which slew my son, de«

n f rom the Baltic coast^ to eat - Tut! Tut!" said he. " A n d waa this xho T h e G e r m a n writhed and struggled. He scend upon your head." the ancestral hall of these . _ , ' ' * was helpless in the hands of this huge giant And so it wa^ that Capt. Baum;-arten, dis*

best that Pierre could &o for you? I am , , . , , . chieftains But the fire was whose blows were raimng upon him. When figured, blinded, and bleeding, staggered out

. f ^shamed to look you in the face , Capt. Baum a t last, bUnded and half senseless, he stag- into the wind and the rain of tha t wild D * p t a m s eyes veie * gorten. W e must improve upon this." gered to his feet i t was only to be hurled cember dawn. >ly upon his chest and the ten H e blew a call upon a whistle which hung back again into the great oaken chair. He [Reprinted by permission of th© owner ^ d upon the broad white scalp. f rom hi» shooting Jacket. The old man serv- sobbed in his impotent anger and shame the copyr igh t j .

• R I B U N E .

A. Conan Doyle